* Vickers displaying mid-season surge ... Not only is Brian
Vickers proving that youth is no obstacle to success, the 19-year-old is
showing he's a title contender. Vickers -- 13 years younger
than any driver in the top five in the point standings -- has been
the hottest driver on the NASCAR Busch Series circuit lately. In the last
five races, he has scored more points (801) than any other driver by
averaging an impressive 160.2 points per race. Moreover, he is the only
driver this year to post seven consecutive top-10 finishes.
Vickers' midseason surge has carried him from 10th in the series
points to a career-best third -- following his fourth-place finish
last Saturday in New Hampshire -- in the last 10 races. Vickers is
still searching for his first NASCAR Busch Series victory, but that could
change this weekend on the 1-mile Pikes Peak International Raceway.
Vickers' other finishes on 1-mile tracks this season: two runner-up
finishes (Nazareth and Milwaukee) and a fifth at Dover. "It's
all about being consistent and working toward a common goal --
winning," said Vickers of his teams' hot streak. "With
our team being new, it took a few races for everything to click, but
it's all coming together now. Sometimes I wonder when it's
going to be interrupted. I just hope it's not soon."

* New crew chief fuels Hamilton's title run ... After a
breakthrough 2002 season in which he earned his career-first win and
finished eighth in the championship, Bobby Hamilton Jr. entered this
season looking to contend for the NASCAR Busch Series crown. However,
after 13 races -- 1/3 of the season -- Hamilton sat 10th in the
series points with just one top-five finish. The U.S. Marine Corps team
decided to make a switch, bringing in veteran crew chief Harold Holly,
beginning with the Dover race on May 31. Holly helped lead Jeff
Green's dominant 2000 season culminating in the series championship
by a record 606 points. The turnaround for Hamilton has been equally
impressive. In the seven races since Holly joined the team, Hamilton has
recorded six top-10 finishes, including wins at Kentucky and Chicago.
"Ever since Harold joined our team, it's been like a new
beginning," Hamilton said. "We have all raised our level of
performance and effort. We go to the track with the confidence that we
can win and we know the car will be awesome. If we can continue to
perform and stay out of trouble, we can still win the title."

* Parker to defend title in TrimSpa 250 ... Hank Parker Jr.
will have an opportunity to defend his title in Saturday's TrimSpa
Dream Body 250 presented by Dodge. Parker is scheduled to drive the No. 7
Kleenex/Scott Products Chevrolet for Evans Motorsports. Parker led twice
for 23 laps in last year's race at Pikes Peak, winning his second
career race and the first for car manufacturer Dodge in the NASCAR Busch
Series. The North Carolina native has another top-five finish in his four
starts at PPIR -- a fourth in 2000. This will be the fourth race for
Parker this season. His best finish was sixth at Darlington.
"It's a great opportunity for me to show everyone that I
still have what it takes," Parker said. "Everyone said that I
won a fuel mileage race last year, and maybe it worked out like that, but
we had a car that could run up front. I know that I haven't
forgotten how to drive and so hopefully I can put on a repeat performance
of last year."

* Pikes Peak a groovy place ... Pikes Peak International
Raceway has been a favorite among the drivers since it was added to the
NASCAR Busch Series schedule in 1998. The multiple grooves have allowed
for exciting side-by-side racing with a total of 62 lead changes in just
five races. The average number of lead changes at the 1-mile track is
12.4, and last year's race tied the 1999 record with 14 lead
changes. "PPIR has the perfect size, shape and banking to give the
fans and drivers the best racing," David Green said. "To me,
it's one of the best tracks we run on all year as far as racing
grooves and endless opportunities to pass."

ETC.

* Colorado native and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran Rick
Carelli is scheduled to drive the No. 4 ReMax Chevrolet for Biagi Bros.
Racing on Saturday. The Pikes Peak event was not one of the 28 races on
the partial schedule for the No. 4 car, which is normally driven by Mike
Wallace and sponsored by GEICO. ... Kasey Kahne and the No. 38 Great
Clips Ford Racing team will get a behind-the-scenes look at NORAD, the
United States' North American Aerospace Defense Command center, on
Thursday when they arrive in Colorado. Although Kahne has yet to compete
at Pikes Peak in NASCAR Busch Series competition, he has raced at PPIR in
USAC events. NASCAR Winston Cup star Ryan Newman held off Kahne --
who finished third -- in a USAC Midget race at PPIR in 2000, but
Kahne went on to win the championship that year. ... Raybestos Rookie
of the Year contender Joey Clanton (No. 27 TrimSpa Pontiac) has a busy
weekend scheduled. Along with his car sponsor being the title sponsor of
the race, Clanton will be making appearances at Peterson Air Force Base,
NORAD, and the Xtreme Sports Bar at Fort Carson, Colo. "There has
been so much excitement leading up to this event," Clanton said.
"TrimSpa has been such a supportive sponsor of our team. I really
can't wait to see what they have planned for the race."

ON THE RIGHT TRACK

* Ron Hornaday and Tim Fedewa (No. 12 Supercuts Cheverolet) have
three top-10 finishes each at Pikes Peak -- the most among active
drivers. Hornaday, who has not finished outside the top 10 in three
starts at PPIR, has an average finish of 7.0 and posted his best finish
(fourth) last year. Fedewa has two 10th-place finishes and a runner-up
effort in 1999.

* David Green has an average finish of 4.0 in two starts at Pikes
Peak. He finished sixth in 2001 and runner-up in 2000 to brother Jeff.

* Jason Keller is one of four drivers who have started all five
races at Pikes Peak. Although he would like to forget his first two races
in Colorado -- both 33rd-place finishes -- he has been solid in
the last three and improving with each race. In 2000, Keller led 50 laps
before finishing 12th. He finished fourth in 2001 after leading 42 laps,
and after winning the pole last year and leading 57 laps, he finished
third.

QUOTEBOOK

* "Pikes Peak is different than any track we've raced
on this year. It's a 1-mile track but it's not flat like
Milwaukee and not as banked as Dover. You have to approach it like a flat
track. The track is very slick and it allows the groove to widen. A wide
groove gives you the ability to not only race side-by-side, but the
opportunity to pass cars and mount a charge toward the front."
-- Jason Keller.

* "[Colorado Springs] is such a neat part of the country with
all the tradition of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, home of Focus on the
Family, and the Air Force Academy. Our visit to NORAD will be very
special to me and my team. We'll get to say hello to a part of our
Armed Forces and invite them to the race." -- David Green.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Built in 1997 with a price tag of $35 million, Pikes Peak International
Raceway hosted its first NASCAR Busch Series race in 1998. In the
track's first race, Matt Kenseth, the current NASCAR Winston Cup
Series points leader, earned his career-first NASCAR Busch Series pole.
Kenseth went on to lead 104 of 250 laps to post his second career
victory.